What is Windows UEFI Mode?

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What role does UEFI play in Windows? On this page, we will clearly explain what UEFI is, what is the difference between UEFI and BIOS boot modes, and how to set up a computer using UEFI on Windows computers and enable UEFI mode on your own.

What is UEFI?

UEFI is a feature that connects your computer’s firmware to your operating system. And UEFI is considered the successor of the traditional legacy BIOS. UEFI works through specific firmware on the computer’s motherboard and is pre-installed during manufacturing.

How does UEFI work?

In short, when you try to start the computer, UEFI runs first and connects the hardware to the operating system so that it can successfully boot and load information from the hard drive.

Here’s a list explaining how the operating system handles UEFI:

  • UEFI is the first program that runs when a computer is turned on.
  • UEFI checks whether hardware components are connected.
  • UEFI wakes up components and connects them to the Operating System

    • Operating systems that support UEFI

    • Windows 11 (requires UEFI and Secure Boot only)
    • Windows 10 (x64)
    • Windows 8.1 (x64)
    • Windows 7 (x64)
    • Windows Vista SP1 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2022 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2019 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2016 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2012 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64)
    • Windows Server 2008 (x64)

    Note: Microsoft introduced UEFI for Windows x64 operating systems. Therefore, if your computer’s operating system is x86 or 32 bit, you need to set BIOS Legacy boot mode on your computer instead of using UEFI.

    How to customize UEFI?

    Note that UEFI firmware settings are only available on computers with motherboards that support UEFI booting. So how do you access UEFI firmware settings? You can use F2/F10 or F12 to access UEFI settings.

    Turn on your computer, press F2/F10/F12 or Del/Esc when the Windows logo appears. Let your computer enter the BIOS settings and then go to the Boot tab.

    Here is a list of hotkeys you can apply to quickly enter UEFI settings:

    • Dell: F2 or F12.
    • HP: ESC or F10.
    • Acer: Click F2 or del.
    • ASUS: Click F2 or del.
    • Lenovo: F1 or F2.
    • MSI:del.
    • Toshiba: F2.
    • Samsung: F2.
    • Surface: Press and hold the Volume Up button.